1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer networks, such as the Internet or World Wide Web, and, in particular, to portals used to retrieve customized sets of information during web browsing and other network access activities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer networks, such as the Internet or World Wide Web, enable users to access an almost unlimited amount of information. Although web browsers and other applications for Internet searching exist to enable users to locate any and all available information, many users are interested in receiving the same types of information during each of their web browsing sessions. For example, a particular user may be interested in the current prices of specific stocks that he owns, the latest scores for his favorite sports teams, his daily horoscope, and the weather report for his home town. For such users, personal portals are being provided by a number of Internet service providers and web servers.
A personal portal is a network search tool that defines a set of user-selected information requests. Whenever the user accesses the network through his personal portal, the portal gathers information satisfying the specified requests from one or more network-based databases and presents that information to the user as a computer display with a composite format, thereby providing the user with what is essentially his own personal, customized web page. One such personal portal service is the xe2x80x9cMy Netscapexe2x80x9d portal provided by Netscape Communications Corporation of Mountain View, Calif.
The one or more databases from which information is gathered to satisfy the portal requests are frequently if not constantly updated so that the set of information provided to the user is current (e.g., the current weather report, the horoscope for current date). Thus, every time the user accesses the network through his personal portal, the particular information presented to the user will be different, even if the set of information requests defined by the portal have not changed. Some personal portals may even automatically update the information presented to the user in real time during a particular network access session as the databases from which that information is gathered are themselves updated. Although a user may be able to modify manually his personal portal to change the defined set of information requests (e.g., adding and deleting stocks to reflect changes in the composition of his personal stock portfolio), nevertheless, between such manual changes to the portal definition, the set of portal requests is static, with only the databases of information being updated over time.
The present invention is directed to portals that are automatically modified as a function of either space or time or both. With a so-called space/time portal of the present invention, the set of requests defined for the portal is modified automatically as a function of either a specified location or a specified time or both, independent of whether or not the information databases used to satisfy those portal requests are themselves also updated over time. Depending on the implementation, the specified location and/or time may be selected automatically or manually by the user.
In one embodiment, the present invention is a computer-based server configured to provide access to a user via a portal through which information is presented to the user in a composite format, wherein the portal defines a set of information requests used to gather the information presented to the user, and the set of information requests for the portal is modified automatically as a function of a specified location, a specified time, or both.
In another embodiment, the present invention is a method for presenting information to a user accessing a computer-based server, comprising the steps of (a) providing a portal to the user, wherein the portal defines a set of information requests used to gather the information presented to the user; (b) selecting a specified location, a specified time, or both corresponding to the user; (c) automatically modifying the set of information requests corresponding to the portal as a function of the specified location, the specified time, or both; and (d) using the modified portal to gather the information for presentation to the user in a composite format.
The present invention addresses the problem of information overload by accessing high priority and relevant information through intelligent filtering while accessing information using web technology. The space/time portals of the present invention allow users to locate themselves at a particular point in space and time using a web locator window with a personal view of their information. Space/time portals can be used to gather personal information as well as shared information from other sources based on a specified location and/or a specified time. The present invention eases web navigation by decreasing web searches and eliminating web clicks to find essential information. The present invention is particularly well suited for, but certainly not limited to, the average business manager.
A web designed around a database back-end tied to an integrated management application can provide custom information to a user via a personal web page. The locator window of the present invention pinpoints the user""s information requirements. The combination of a database back-end for all information storage and a dynamic web page displaying information specific to a user""s needs at a specified location and time allows fast access to web-based information with minimal navigation. The database holds information from many people allowing cross-referencing and information viewing across many people or a group of people.
A GPS (global positioning system) processor can be integrated to a user""s PC (personal computer) or PDA (personal data assistant) to determine his current location in space and a clock in the PC or PDA establishes a current location in time as default. As the user shifts views in space and time, information will be generated from sources and dynamically published to a web page. This web page may contain general information (such as news and events), personal information (such as action items, schedules, and meetings), and shared information (such as project calendars, action items owned by others, and project notes).
The present invention relates to a new design for a personal web portal with dynamic page generation utilizing access methods that are highly accepted by the public, such as calendaring and mapping. The present invention allows users the option of multiple platforms (e.g., SUN workstations, Windows-based PCs, Apple Macintosh computers). The present invention enables collaboration between users through a common port of entry and extraction.